600 Miles of Remembrance: Menard Honors EM3 Tussey

Memorial Day Weekend has always been just a holiday to Richard Childress Racing employee Troy Tussey, but after seeing his namesake on the No. 27 windshield, it made him realize what his Great Uncle’s legacy meant to him.

Harold Tussey’s memorial marker located near Welcome, North Carolina

“This weekend means more than you can imagine to me and my family. It’ll be a proud moment to see his name on the windshield and know that he is still remembered. The 600 Miles of Remembrance program sparked an idea in me,” said Tussey, nephew of Harold Tussey and mechanic at RCR. “I think every Memorial Day Weekend starting now, I’ll go to his memorial at our church and place a flag at his marker. I’m proud of the man my Great Uncle was and this is a great reminder.”

“I think every Memorial Day Weekend starting now, I’ll go to his memorial at our church and place a flag at his marker,” he said. “I’m proud of the man my Great Uncle was and this is a great reminder.”

Lloyd Harold Tussey died at age 25 serving our country aboard the USS Arizona in in Pearl Harbor, when the strikes that began the United States’ involvement in World War II took place. Dec. 7, 1941 is a day that impacted many families, including the Tussey’s.

Harold Tussey was born Feb. 25, 1916 near Welcome, North Carolina to Arthur and Lona Tussey. As a boy, his family didn’t have electricity, but he was fascinated by how it worked.

“My Uncle conducted experiments using the wires of his family’s car, and often times included his nine siblings. He would attach the wires to a metal tub of water and have his brothers and sisters line up to touch the water, receiving a shock from the electricity,” said Tussey.

“In 1938, after seeing posters for the Navy, he felt the call to enlist. At the time, jobs were hard to come by, and he wanted to see what else was out there in the world,” he said.

Lloyd Harold Tussey lost his life at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 while serving the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Arizona

Tussey’s interest in electricity was noted by the Navy after his enlistment and he began training in electronics for ship duty as a Petty Officer. It was then that he was assigned duty aboard the USS Arizona as an Electrician’s Mate.

“Harold said the places he visited were not at all like home,” elaborated Tussey. “He often said that there is no other land out there like the U.S.A., but he enjoyed his job and loved serving our country.”

Tussey lost his life, perhaps doing what he loved, when the Japanese launched an attack at 7:55 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, an ambush that lasted two hours. Most of the casualties were aboard the USS Arizona, which was struck four times. Tussey remains in Honolulu, buried at sea in the twisted sides of the naval battleship.